Game Info: Tueday, February 18, 2020 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Alumni Gymnasium - Glenside, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WUWBB
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Opening Tip
The Widener University women's basketball team begins the final week of the regular season with a trip to Glenside, taking on the Arcadia Knights in a MAC Commonwealth contest. Tipoff from Alumni Gymnasium is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - @WUWBB Races Past Alvernia On Senior Day
The Pride honored two of its biggest standouts in recent history prior to the game before the Pride overcame a slow start to beat the Alvernia Golden Wolves 77-65 during Senior Day on Saturday afternoon.
OF NOTE
- Widener is now 19-4 on the season, continuing to match the 2012-13 team for the best record through this point in a season in program history.
- WU remains tied for second place in the MAC Commonwealth with Albright. Both teams have an 11-3 record in conference play.
- The Blue and Gold picked up its eighth win in a row against Alvernia.
- Devan Rimmer and Madison Ireland were recognized in a pregame ceremony for their efforts during the past four years. Both have earned All-Conference accolades and rank in the top-five in Widener women's basketball history in multiple career categories.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Rimmer led four players in double figures with 16 in the game.
- Ireland flirted with a triple-double, scoring seven with nine rebounds and nine assists.
- Jordan D'Ambrosio was in double digits for the second consecutive game and sixth time this season, netting 13.
- Erin Phelan and Nicole Barnes each posted 12 in the contest. For Barnes, the point total tied a career-high and her three made three-pointers were a personal best. She also had three steals, giving her 26 in the last eight games and 50 for the season.
- Natalie Galle came off the bench for Widener and drained a pair of threes in nine minutes of action.
- The 14-for-15 performance at the line was the best for WU since going 17-of-18 against Wilson in the First Round of the ECAC Championship last year.
- Every single player on the Pride roster logged at least two minutes in the game, the fifth time this season, each player has made an appearance in a game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Blue and Gold scored the first basket of the game on a layup by
Kyra Schenk less than 10 seconds into the contest, Widener went cold from for the field, missing its next five shots. Alvernia never was able to pull too far ahead, but had a response off a press break each time Widener scored. The Golden Wolves went up by six on an and-one with 2:58 to go in the first before WU scored the final five points of the frame, slicing the lead to one after the opening 10 minutes.
Starting the second quarter, the AU posted the first points on a trey. Down by four 58 seconds into the frame, D'Ambrosio connected on her first three of the day. That ignited an 11-0 run, capped by back-to-back triples from Galle, to go up 28-21 in less than two minutes. A pair of buckets by the Golden Wolves chopped the lead back to two midway through the period, but Widener responded, outscoring Alvernia 15-5 into halftime, taking a 43-31 lead into the break.
In the second half, Widener's lead dipped into single digits just once, on the first basket of the third quarter as AU connected on a three. After that the Blue and Gold swelled the lead to as many as 20 when D'Ambrosio hit her second trey of the afternoon, making it 59-39 when just more than three minutes remained in the third. A late push by the Golden Wolves against the Pride bench in the fourth pulled things closer, but did not impact the outcome of the contest.
Scouting Report
Arcadia comes into the game 12-11 overall and is 7-7 in MAC Commonwealth play followiung a 72-65 win against Hood on Saturday. With their three straight wins and Stevenson's loss, the Knights currently hold the final playoff spot in the conference and control their own destiny to make the postseason.
Taylor Dunn leads Arcadia's offense at 17.9 points per game and shoots 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. Julia Makowski provides a strong secondary option, scoring 11.7 per night. Makowski leads the Knights with 6.7 rebounds a contest while Dunn dishes 3.1 assists an outing, closely followed by 3.0 a game from Sydney Cyr.
Arcadia has done a nice job of holding opposing offenses down, allowing 58.8 points per game, but have struggled to hold on to the ball, committing 19.9 turnovers a contest and have a -4.2 turnover margin.
Rose Katz-Gobeli is in her sixth season as the head coach of the Knights with a record of 65-85 in Glenside. She is 80-143 in her ninth season as a collegiate head coach following a three-year run to begin her career at Emory & Henry. Katz-Gobeli is a familiar face to Widener fans, as she was an assistant coach with the Pride for three years including the team's Elite Eight run in 2008-09.
Last Time Against Arcadia
Devan Rimmer,
Erin Phelan, and
Kyra Schenk all scored in double figures as the Pride ground out a 54-44 win against the Knights on January 22. Phelan produced her ony double-double of the season and the fourth of her career, adding 10 rebounds.
Top Props
Madison Ireland was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the week for her effort against Albright and Alvernia. She averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a 2-0 week for Widener. Ireland matched a season-high with 17 points, picking up the scoring slack as Widener downed Albright on Wednesday, 69-68. In the game she also pulled down seven rebounds and dished five assists with only one turnover. Against Alvernia on Saturday, she flirted with a triple-double, scoring seven, with nine rebounds and nine assists. Overall for the week, she posted a 4.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Senior Sendoff
Prior to the game against Alvernia, Widener honored seniors
Madison Ireland and
Devan Rimmer. Ireland is the program's all-time leader in assists with 563 and is one of two players in program history to start 100 or more career games. Rimmer is fourth WU history with 1,544 points and third with 162 three-pointers. By stepping on the court on Saturday, she became the 16th student-athlete for the Blue and Gold to appear in 100 career games. The pair has been a part of 60 wins in their four years including 39 since the beginning of 2018. It's not just on the court where they have made an impact. Rimmer earned her undergraduate degree in 3.5 years and carries a 3.679 GPA in biology/pre-physical therapy. Ireland has earned a 3.483 GPA as a nursing major.
Glass Cleaning
Widener has picked up the rebounding in its last five games, averaging 42.6 boards per contest and holding a +5.4 margin, going 4-1 in those outings. During the first 18 games of the year, the Pride pulled in 39.7 caroms a contest and were a -2.0 margin.
A Chance At History
With one more win, the Blue and Gold picks up its 20th victory of the year, just the third time in program history it will have accomplished the feat. All 20-win seasons will have come in the past eight years. The 2012-13 squad went 24-6 and the 2018-19 team went 20-8. It would mark the first time in the 49-year history of Widener women's basketball that the team has won 20+ in back-to-back seasons.
Nothing Decided Yet...
With both teams winning on Saturday, Widener and Albright remain tied for second in the MAC Commonwealth with identical 11-3 records. The Pride does not control its own destiny for the postseason. Should both teams win out, Albright will claim the tiebreaker due to a +10 point differential in the two games between the AC and WU this season. The point differential tiebreaker only comes into play because, under that scenario, the two teams split head-to-head and both squads would have identical records against each team in the MAC Commonwealth. The determining game could come to the last contest of the season when Albright hosts Messiah on February 22.
...But We Know A Few Things
A win for the Pride against Albright on February 12 clinched a berth in the MAC Commonwealth Championship for the second straight year. At 11-3 in conference, the Blue and Gold cannot fall below third place and will begin its conference tournament run with a semifinal game on February 26.
And Will Find Out More Midweek
Wednesday, February 19 will see the second NCAA Regional Rankings released. Widener was ranked sixth in the first Middle Atlantic regional rankings as on Wednesday, February 12. Regional Rankings are selected by the Regional Advisory Committee for each area and take into account team record, record versus high-ranked competition, strength of schedule, and opponent strength of schedule, among other factors. They are used as a guide to assist the NCAA selection committee in choosing the 64 teams that will make up the 2020 NCAA Championship.
Imrpoved Competition
One reason for where the Blue and Gold was placed in the initial regional rankings was a higher level of competition than in previous seasons. The Pride has the 72nd toughest schedule out of 443 teams in all of Division III. Widener has played six games this season against teams with winning percentages of .800 or better and wins in three of those contests, toppling Rowan on November 23, #24 Messiah on January 8, and #15 Albright on February 12.
Up Next
Widener plays its regular season finale, traveling to Hood on Saturday, February 22. Tipoff from BB&T Arena in Frederick, Md. is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
